How to Set Up the PowerPair and Power Manager Battery Control Incentives in OpenSolar

Summary

This article guides you through the process of incorporating the Duke Energy PowerPair and Power Manager Battery Control incentives into your proposals.

The PowerPair Program, launched by Duke Energy in May 2024, offers one-time incentives for North Carolina homeowners who install solar panels with battery storage. It aims to make clean energy more affordable and improve grid reliability. Participants can also join the Power Manager Battery Control Program to get monthly bill credits for allowing Duke Energy to use their batteries during high-demand times.

How to Add the PowerPair Incentive:

The PowerPair program includes two separate incentives, which can be modeled individually. Below are the steps to add the Solar Installation and Battery Storage incentives for use in your proposals:

1. Solar Installation Incentive:

• Go to Control > Other > Incentives.
• Click Add New Incentive. 
• Select “Sized-Based Incentive” as the Incentive Type.
• Select “PV System AC Capacity (kW)” as the Size Based Incentive Type.
• Set the Incentives Amount to $360/kW-AC. Powerpair offers this incentive for solar panel installation up to 10kW-AC.
• Set the Cap Amount to $3,600.

Note: You can choose to Auto-apply this incentive, so that it is included by default in eligible projects. To do this:

• Under Solar System Configuration, enter an auto apply max system size of 10kW since the rebate applies to Solar systems up to 10 kW-AC. 
• Click Save.

Example modeling of the incentive:

2. Battery Storage Incentive:

• Go to Control > Other > Incentives.
• Click Add New Incentive. 
• Select “Sized-Based Incentive” as the Incentive Type.
• Select “Battery Usable Capacity (kWh)” as the Size Based Incentive Type.
• Set the Incentives Amount to $400/kWh. Powerpair offers this incentive for Battery storage installation up to 13.5 kWh.
• Set the Cap Amount to $5,400

Note: You can choose to Auto-apply this incentive, so that it is included by default in eligible projects. To do this:

• The rebate applies to Batteries up to 13.5 kWh, enter an auto apply max battery size to 13.5 kWh.
• Click Save

Example modeling of the incentive:

How to Add the Power Manager Battery Control Incentive:

In addition to the PowerPair incentives, you can also set up the Power Manager Battery Control incentive. This can be added as a separate incentive to help maximize overall savings. You can view the list of eligible battery models here: https://www.duke-energy.com/home/products/power-manager/battery-control 

Below are the steps to set up the PowerManager Battery Control incentive for use in your proposals:

• Go to Control > Other > Incentives.
• Click Add New Incentive. 
• Select “Fixed” as the Incentive Type.
• Set the Incentive amount according to the monthly bill credit applicable to your specific battery model. Refer to the list of eligible battery models.

 For example: Emporia Battery – SolaX Xpower ESS 10 offers a monthly credit of $25.

• Toggle On the following options:
  • Apply incentive over time period
  • Is applied to utility bills - These options ensure that the rebate is distributed over time and credited directly on the utility bill.
• Set the Payment Frequency to Monthly.
• Set the Number of Terms to 10 years.
• Click Save 

Example modeling of the incentive:

Have an existing project but the incentive is not showing?

Once set up, you will need to manually recalculate any relevant in-flight projects to update pricing.

See here for how to do this: https://support.opensolar.com/hc/en-us/articles/4406931163929-Recalculate-to-factor-in-recent-changes-to-your-proposal